Pittsburgh, February 15, 2023 -- Douglas Kondziolka, MD, Gray Family Professor of Neurosurgery and vice chair of research and director of the Center for Advanced Radiosurgery at New York University's Langone Medical Center, will serve as the honored guest for the Peter J. Jannetta Lectureship, April 5, providing a lecture on "Navigating Organized Neurosurgery." The talk will take place in the Department of Neurological Surgery's main conference room at B400, UPMC Presbyterian beginning at 5:00 p.m.
A recipient of numerous awards in the field of neurosurgery, Dr. Kondziolka is a world-renowned expert in stereotactic radiosurgery and neuro-oncology and a leading researcher in the study of novel treatments for brain tumors, vascular malformations and functional disorders. Long a prolific author in the field, he is the current editor-in-chief of the medical journal Neurosurgery and has published 610 medical journal articles, 280 book chapters and has edited eight books.
Dr. Kondziolka has also been extensively involved in neurosurgery residency training throughout his career. He is a former director of the American Board of Neurological Surgery—having led the oral examinations in neurosurgery—and is now a member of the Residency Review Committee of the American Council of Graduate Medical Education, which oversees residency training.
Dr. Kondziolka has long been active in national neurosurgery leadership, serving as the past president of the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, the International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and the American Academy of Neurological Surgery.
Prior to coming to NYU Langone in 2012, Dr. Kondziolka was chief of stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, vice chair for education and director of the Center for Brain Function and Behavior for the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurosurgery. He also served as the neuroscience task force leader for the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. He was installed as the first Peter J. Jannetta Professor in 2006 while at the University of Pittsburgh.
The Peter J. Jannetta Lectureship is held annually in honor of the innovative former chair of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurosurgery who passed away in April of 2016. Dr. Jannetta served as chair of the department for 25 years beginning in 1971. He was internationally acclaimed for his development of microvascular decompression (MVD), an innovative procedure that moved blood vessels away from the trigeminal nerve, alleviating chronic pain and spasms in facial muscles. The procedure became commonly known as the ‘Jannetta Procedure’ and brought relief to thousands.
Perhaps equally important as his scientific accomplishments was Dr. Jannetta's legacy of training future leaders in neurosurgery. During his tenure at the University of Pittsburgh, he trained 49 residents—including four future department chairs—and was honored with an endowed professorship, appropriately named after Walter E. Dandy—considered one of the founding fathers of neurosurgery.
For more information on the Jannetta Lectureship, please contact Barb Deriggi at 412-647-6358.